Have you ever taken a photo and noticed that there’s a funny orange or blue tinge to it?

Don’t worry, your camera isn’t broken!

Different light sources give off different colours – hard to imagine when our eyes don’t see it as they automatically adjust for us – but this is what causes the funny colours you sometimes see in photos.

Today’s digital cameras are much better at adjusting themselves so you don’t see this so much anymore (it’s a little something called “White Balance”) But sometimes it’s nice to keep the colours as ambience in photos – it can make a scene look warm and comforting or cool and dreamy. The warmth or coolness of a photo is described as its “temperature.” Cool is bluer, warm is more orange.

So how does this work for different times of the day?

During the day, as the sun changes positions in the sky we get different colours in our light through our ozone. Sunrise gives off a warmer colour, whereas sunset, daylight and shade all give off more of a cooler, bluer tone.

Harsh light, soft light

When the sun is overhead the light is harsh and casts unflattering shadows, which is why when conditions are like this it’s best to seek shade.

But on a morning and evening the light is much softer when the sun is lower in the sky, or on cloudy days the light is much more flattering.

So choosing the time of day for your wedding will affect your photos, and now you know why 🙂

Sarah x